Almost
by maneatingbutterflies
Summary: in which Sherlock Holmes acquires a new neighbor and takes advantage of the convenience now that John isn't at his disposal like he used to be. Victoria Dashwood and Sherlock Holmes are not friends but they have something of an understanding and that's what matters. Eventual SherlockOC
1. Chapter 1

**_Hey guys! So here are a couple of things for y'all to know before reading this. Now I know that I still have another story that needs my attention but that story is much more personal so it is really hard for me to write. It isn't abandoned though! I promise! I am working on it. I just have to stop a lot... As for this story, the chapters aren't going to be long but there are going to be many of them. The chapters will probably get longer the more Victoria and Sherlock's relationship grows. _**

**_The purpose of this story for me as a writer is to be as in character as possible with Sherlock while putting a girl, not yet woman in his life. And I say girl now because he only sees her as a girl now but he will mostlikely see her as a woman later. _**

**_I would love love love feedback. I mean, if you guys have suggestions, ideas, recommendations, anything, just review and I will totally take it all into consideration. _**

**_ManEatingButterflies_**

* * *

Victoria tiredly took her hair down from the bun she had put it in for work, moving one of her small hands through the champagne blonde waves as the other worked her key into the door to her flat.

She froze, her hand falling from her hair.

Her door was unlocked.

Did she leave her door unlocked? Did someone break in? There didn't seem to be any signs of forced entry, did there? Did Mrs. Hudson need something and forget to lock it?

She carefully opened the door, the pink container of mace she had on her key chain held up in front of her.

"Why are you here?" A low voice asked and her eyes darted to the direction it was coming from, spying a familiar head of curly dark hair and broad shoulders on her couch.

She walked around the couch to see his face. "Sherlock, I live here."

"Don't you work?" He asked, his eyes staring blankly at her wall as he rested his chin on his fingers.

"I've been to work already." Victoria sighed, placing her hands on her hips. She could tell that he was on a case.

"You just left."

"Nine hours ago." She corrected him.

"Has it been? Interesting."

Silence.

Victoria watched him for a while more before speaking again. "Why are you in my flat?" She asked, raising an eyebrow when his blue eyes spared a glance at her before going back to focusing on the wall.

"I needed to think and, since this is the quietest location that I could get to without making an effort, I decided to think here." He stood up and fixed his jacket before crossing to the window. "Despite your constant assurance that your flat is, indeed, secure, I got in here without any trouble."

Victoria gave him a look before going to her kitchen. "Will you be here long?"

A soft hum was her only response and she knew that he was done talking with her.

She put the kettle on the stove and went back to her living room, settling on the couch and glancing at Sherlock before picking up the book she had been reading.

Silence.

Eventually the kettle whistled and she made two cups of tea, placing one cup on the table beside Sherlock where is sat untouched and growing cold.

Silence.

The only noises made were the turning of a page in Victoria's book and her quiet sips of tea.

Victoria had been renting the flat in 221C for a while now-four months was it?-and had the pleasure of meeting Sherlock Holmes because of it. Their meeting was unimportant. He had no interest in her and she was intimidated by him. They bumped into each other occasionally and sometimes shared a cab if they happened to leave at the same time but they were just neighbors, hardly acquaintances. Soon, though, he began to take advantage of her nearness and would find her if he needed something from her. She would even receive a text from him every once in a while. She was no John Watson but she was convenient.

They had a mutual understanding, a silent agreement. She would not pester him. He would try not to be a total arsehole to her. She would help him. He would not talk down to her.

The moment that they shared in her flat, silent but comfortable, was a moment they knew. They didn't know it well but it was becoming more and more familiar as the weeks passed.

"Yes or no?"

The question startled her, braking the silence. She looked up to see Sherlock's eyes on her.

"Why?" She asked, not understanding his question.

"It doesn't matter why. I have no need of your curiosity. Yes or no?" Sherlock sighed impatiently.

"No?" She answered, her tone questioning and unsure.

His hands broke apart from their position on his chin and his eyes brightened, because of a discovery or an idea she did not know.

"Then why did she say yes?" He asked himself and strode out her front door without another word, the door slamming shut behind him.

She gazed at the spot he had just stood at for a while before shrugging and looking back down at the page she had been reading.


	2. Chapter 2

_*buzz* *buzz*_

_*buzz* *buzz*_

"Mmmm..." Victoria sleepily squinted in the bluish darkness of her bedroom at the phone on her nightstand. The screen glowed, notifying her that she had gotten a text. She groaned and reached over to the device.

**_4:10 a.m._**

She blinked slowly, trying to wake up enough to comprehend that someone was texting her at such an ungodly hour.

**_1 unread message_**

**_Sherlock Holmes_**

Of course.

She sat up in bed and opened the message.

_I need 1 kg of unused pink erasers ASAP -SH_

Victoria yawned and placed her phone on her lap to rub her face. "Why..." She murmured to herself before picking her phone back up and texting him back.

_Sherlock, where would I get a kilo of erasers? _

Almost immediately her phone buzzed again.

_You are a teacher, are you not? It really shouldn't be that difficult. -SH_

Victoria rolled her eyes.

_Can you wait a few hours? _

**_*buzz* *buzz*_**

_No. -SH_

_Then get the erasers yourself. _

She locked her phone and laid back down.

What was she dreaming about before she had been woken up? Her mind tried to grasp at the wisps of dream left behind her eyes.

**_*buzz* *buzz*_**

She tried to ignore it.

**_*buzz* *buzz*_**

**_*buzz* *buzz* _**

"Why..." She whimpered, reaching over to her phone.

_Why would I do that when you are perfectly capable of doing it for me? -SH _

_I'm busy.-SH _

_It's for a case.-SH _

_Then you are going to have to wait. I'm going back to sleep now. Goodnight, Sherlock. _

_***buzz* *buzz* **_

_Goodnight. -SH _


	3. Chapter 3

"Poop," Victoria cursed, her kindergarten teacher mindset censoring her words. She picked up the-thankfully-closed box of erasers she had dropped and tried to balance that along with another box and a coffee cup in her arms as she locked her classroom door.

"Need some help?" A voice spoke up from behind her.

She turned around at smiled, "As a matter of fact, I would love some." She handed him the eraser boxes. "You're quite handsome today. Anything going on?"

The handsome man that was assisting Victoria was the one and only Burt Dawson, her coworker and best work friend.

He smiled, "Can't I just look good every once in a while?" He asked her, walking with her to the parking lot. "I think I look quite handsome every day, thank you." He added.

"You know what I mean!" Victoria laughed. "Freshly pressed shirt, expensive cologne, pants that you've probably lint rolled into oblivion judging from the abnormal cleanliness..." She rose her eyebrows.

Burt sighed dramatically. "Nothing goes by you without notice, Vicky..." He shook his head. "I have a coffee date," He grinned.

"Look at you!" Victoria elbowed him. "Who is the lucky man?"

He bit his lip. "Someone..."

"Someone...?"

"That I met..."

"That you met...?"

"What are these erasers for anyway?" Burt changed the subject.

"You met him on that gay phone app, didn't you?" Victoria shot him a look. Something about meeting people online just rubbed her the wrong way. She heard to many horror stories... Especially from Sherlock.

"If I hear from Sherlock that you got murdered on your date, I'm not going to mourn. It's your own fault. I wouldn't even help Sherlock with the case." Victoria sniffed.

"Sherlock!" Burt grinned. "Why can't I have a coffee date with him?"

Sherlock showed up at their school once on a case about child molestations. He managed to be a substitute teacher for a few days, capturing Burt's interest in the process.

_"Who can resist those cheekbones? Those eyes? That voice?"_ He had asked her when she found out about his little crush. _"No one!" _

"He's on a case, but I'll send him your love."

"And my number. Send him my number too."

Victoria laughed and unlocked her as they approached it. "Thanks for this."

"No problem! I had some time to kill." Burt shrugged and handed her the boxes before leaving with a wave.

She pulled her phone out of her pocket and sat in her car.

**_Calling Sherlock..._**

_"What?"_

She rolled her eyes. "I have the erasers. I'm going to stop by and get some food on the way home. Do you want anything?"

_"I don't eat while I am on a case." _

"You need to eat something, Sherlock. You're human." She sighed.

_"Buy me what you want but I won't promise I'll eat any of it." _

"Fish and chips?" She offered.

_"Sure. Hurry with the food. I want my erasers." _

"Okay."

_"I hate waiting."_

"I know. I'm going."

_"Goodbye."_

"Bye."

She smiled to herself and placed the phone in her cup holder before starting the car.

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R&R lovelies


	4. Chapter 4

Victoria pulled over to the curb and parked her car. She hated driving and hated parking even more but it was necessary. She sorted her things out in the passenger seat, figuring out what she would take up now and what she would take on her inevitable second trip.

She'd take the food up first. Maybe Sherlock would eat something if he didn't have his erasers to immediately distract him...

*tap tap tap*

She looked up in surprise but the surprise immediately left her face and was replaced with a grin. She opened her door. "John Watson," she greeted.

"Hey, how are you?" He smiled. "You look good."

"Just pretty words but I appreciate it all the same." She laughed and then asked, "Are you visiting Sherlock?"

"I am. Just got here, actually." John looked up at the building and then back at her. "Can I give you a hand with any of that?"

"I would love that. We're heading to the same place, you know." She offered him the two boxes of erasers and decided to leave her coffee cup in the car before getting out, holding her bag and the bag of food.

"You're going to see Sherlock?" John asked, stepping away so she could close the door.

"Yeah. He needed me to get something for him." She explained as they began to walk. "I wish I knew that you were coming over. I could have picked some food up for you as well."

"Ah no... It's okay. I had a late lunch with Mary." John assured her with a smile.

Victoria rolled her eyes, "Don't try to make me feel better, John. You know I like to find things to feel bad about. How else am I supposed to pass the time?"

"You can always visit Mary and me. You need to get out more." John told her, "You and Sherlock both. You guys like to hole yourself up in your flats and think the day away. It's not healthy."

"I may have a vitamin D deficiency but I like to think my pale skin is ethereal and delicate." She paused and then added, "But in a good way."

"Maybe a few hundred years ago, you could have gotten a husband with that skin of yours." John commented.

"Ah the good old days."

"But you actually need to make an effort to go out now. Why don't you?" He asked, stopping when they got to Sherlock's door. Victoria knocked.

"Who needs to date? Not me." She dismissed.

"You don't need to do anything." John sighed. "I'm just saying it would probably be good for you to."

If Victoria could cross her arms, she would. "Well there is a serious lack of guys in my life right now and I am not into that whole Internet thing." She knocked on the door again. "Who is there to date?"

"Good. You're here." Sherlock's voice startled them both out of their conversation.

They turned around to see Sherlock behind them.

"Where were you?" John asked, feeling silly for waiting at the door like he did.

"Victoria's flat. Mrs. Hudson doesn't know to look for me there yet." Sherlock brushed past them and walked into his own flat, swiping the boxes of erasers from John as did so.

"He has a key to your flat?" John asked Victoria in surprise. _What in the world was going on there... _

"No. He doesn't need a key to get through a lock. His will alone can open doors, I'm sure." Victoria grumbled, following Sherlock and John into the flat.

"When there is a will, there's a way," John chuckled.

Victoria walked into the the sitting area and placed the food down on a small table. She looked around. Everything seemed to be in order. Sometimes she worried about Sherlock living on his own so she liked to make sure everything was okay when she could.

"You've lost weight."

She looked up to see Sherlock placing the two boxes on his chair before beginning to move some furniture. He wasn't even looking at her but she knew that his comment was toward her.

"I have." She replied simply, waiting for him to continue. "I loose weight during the school year every year."

He pushed the table with the food on it out of the way before he sat down on the cleared out floor. He reached over and grabbed the boxes of erasers. "You looked a more acceptable mate before. If you are so focused on dating, losing weight may make you feel better about yourself and have you feeling more appealing to the opposite sex, but men would want the mother of their child or children to be able to nourish their child or children while pregnant whether they know it or not. You fit that role more before you lost the weight." He evenly spaced the erasers out around him on the floor.

John snorted. Whether Sherlock knew it or not, he said Victoria was more shagable when she was five kilos heavier and the fact that he said she was shagable at all is hilarious.

Sherlock rose an eyebrow at John, "Excuse you." He went back to setting up the erasers. "You should focus on your own eating habits and stop bothering me about mine."

"I eat plenty." Victoria took out her fish and chips, whether it was her proving a point or because she felt the need to eat more she didn't know.

Sherlock's eyes flickered up to her before focusing back on his task. "So do I."

They smiled: Victoria in surrender, Sherlock in victory, both in understanding.

"You win this time, Holmes." She shook her head. "I'll put this in the fridge for when you decide you want it." She carefully stepped around his eraser circles and into the kitchen.

"John," she heard Sherlock say, "throw this out the window and tell me what happens."

Victoria looked down, the corners of her lips still turned up.

Is it bad she wanted to call them her friends?


	5. Chapter 5

**thank you guys so much for reading and following and reviewing and doing what you are doing! It's super encouraging! I keep getting so many great ideas for this story and knowing that people actually want to read it makes me want to keep going! **

**R&R lovelies! **

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"Oh I forgot to tell you that Burt sends his love." Victoria didn't look up from the book on her lap as she spoke but Sherlock knew that she was talking to him.

It had been a few days since she had given Sherlock the erasers and he had solved the case that he was working on. He was already on a new case and he once again had the company of John and Victoria to deal with while he was trying to think. To be honest, though, he didn't mind. He could ignore them for the most part and part of him liked the company.

Anyway...

_Burt sent his love._

_Of course she was talking to Sherlock. _

_Who else did Burt send his love to?_

_Who else would she talk to?_

"Why so many people develop crushes on Sherlock, I will never know," John spoke up and then chuckled.

_Was John here? Huh_.

Victoria smiled at John's comment and then gazed thoughtfully at Sherlock before replying, "They all believe that he will be their Mr. Darcy and that his..." She paused to think of how Mr. Darcy is described, "arrogance, conceit, and his selfish disdain of the feelings of others..." She laughed, "is all just a misunderstanding."

"If you would not talk about me as if I am not here, that would be lovely," Sherlock requested, his figure still facing the window he was standing at. An eraser rolled between his long, pale fingers. He paused and then added, "Although, I do agree with you."

John smiled, amusement etched on his face, "I didn't think you would be a fan of Pride and Prejudice, Sherlock," he teased.

Sherlock rolled his eyes, "I admit that I have not read it, but the Darcy character sounds tolerable."

"Barely tolerable, I daresay, but not handsome enough to tempt me," Victoria quoted, causing John to snort and her chortle.

"Would you two please control yourselves. I'm working." Sherlock shot a look at John and then at Victoria.

John rose his hand up in surrender.

Victoria went back to her book.

Sherlock stared out the window.


	6. Chapter 6

**10-13**

**3:12 a.m.**

Sherlock, are you awake?

_Of course. Is there something you want? -SH_

I'm not sure. I feel like I'm missing something. Does that ever happen to you?

_On occasion. -SH_

What do you do about it?

_I find whatever I am missing. -SH_

You make it sound so easy.

_You make it more difficult than it needs to be. -SH _

**10-15**

**5:15 p.m. **

_Did you manage to find what you lost?-SH_

Unfortunately no. I'm sorry about messaging you so late, by the way. Sometimes my thoughts get the better of me when it's night time. Who knows what I am missing... Would my favorite consulting detective have any ideas?

_Yours is a case I would not take. -SH _

I didn't think so.

_My apologies. -SH _

You're not sorry.

_No, I'm not.-SH _

**10-20 **

**4:01 p.m.**

Was that loud noise coming from your flat?

_Yes.-SH _

Should I be concerned?

_No, but you probably will be anyway.-SH _

_If you must know, I was experimenting_ _with different types of blood spatter. -SH_

Blood spatter?

Why don't you finish up what you're doing and come visit me? I've made lasagna and have plenty of extra.

_I'll be down shortly.-SH_

**10-27 **

**1:30 a.m. **

_You were lonely.-SH_

What?

_That is why you felt as though you were missing something. You were lonely. -SH _

I see you took my case after all!

_I wouldn't call it taking your case, but if you want to pay me, I would not refuse. -SH_

I don't mean to be lonely. I think it's just a human thing. Humans aren't made to be alone. How do you do it?

_I've had a lot of practice.-SH_

**10-31**

**9:56 p.m. **

_There was a body found in a haunted house attraction. Meet_ _me outside in 5. -SH_

**11-04**

**1:42p.m.**

You're going with me to John and Mary's for dinner Wednesday night.

_What is the occasion?-SH _

I'm taking John's advice. We need to get out and change things up.

_I don't need you making plans for me, but I will accept_ _this time. -SH_

Good. I'll see you after work.

_Don't forget to bring the books. -SH _

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Review review review please!

Thank you to everyone that has followed and favorited and everything! It means so much! I have great plans for this story! I'm just trying to build a base for those plans to go off of without seeming rushed. I hate reading a story where they immediately love each other and are attracted and blah blah blah. It bothers me. I'm trying not to do that.


	7. Chapter 7

Long time no see, lovelies! Sorry it has taken so long to update but I swear that I'm trying for at least once a week with this story and with my Labyrinth story! Please please please review and follow and be as lovely as I know you can be?

Also, I want to hear some guesses as to what you guys think is wrong with Sherlock?

XOXO

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Victoria stood in the living room of 221B, arms crossed and foot tapping.

"Come on, Sherlock. We should have been there ten minutes ago!" Victoria called out to Sherlock as he got dressed.

"Then you should have reminded me ten minutes earlier that I needed to be somewhere."

Victoria rolled her eyes. "Even though you are brilliant, I really have to lower my expectations to be your friend sometimes."

"Keep your expectations lowered. It's easier to impress you all that way."

Victoria let out an unladylike snort, "I'll make sure to remember that."

Sherlock was frustrated with himself. He hadn't been able to focus as well as he wanted to, no matter how many nicotine patches he stuck to his arms. He didn't even want to consider himself being as weak as he was getting. He refused to think of the cause. He might be human, but he didn't have to act like it. He had one of the most-if not, the only-exceptional mind of the twenty first century.

He couldn't figure out what colored shirt to wear. His mind was too busy dwelling on his problems.

They were in the taxi. When had he managed to get in a taxi? He couldn't even remember what shirt he had chosen…

He looked down.

Purple.

He glanced at the woman next to him. Victoria Dashwood. Boring. He looked out the window, trying to grasp at something that could trigger his brain to start working. Or to start working properly, rather. It was working enough for him to be displeased with it.

He got out of the cab when it stopped, leaving Victoria to pay.

"Why are you waiting to knock on the door?" Victoria asked as she walked from the cab, her hands in the pockets of her usual light blue coat.

"I texted John to open the door. I'm waiting." Sherlock said in a very unamused tone.

Victoria made a face, "Sherlock-" She was about to chastise him for something, he could feel it.

"Victoria," He said back in the same tone and checked his phone before putting it in his pocket, "You and John have both made it quite clear that I shouldn't just walk in to places."

Victoria looked at Sherlock with a speculative gaze. Why couldn't he just knock on the door? She wondered what it was like in his head.

"Sherlock! Victoria! Why were you just standing outside? Come in, come in!" Mary welcomed her friends as she ushered them inside. They took of their coats and scarves before walking into the sitting room.

"You certainly dressed up for us, didn't you?" Mary teased Victoria as she handed her a glass of wine.  
Victoria smiled modestly and took a sip before looking down at her silky lilac dress. "I love this dress. I'm glad I finally had a reason to wear it." She laughed.

"You could aways-"

"If you say date, I'm going to have to pour this wine all over this nice carpet of yours." Victoria warned.

Mary laughed, "Poor Tori," She cooed, "What are you going to do when you're old and have fallen?"  
Victoria rolled her eyes, "Sherlock would notice sooner or later that I was missing when he needed something from me."

They sat on the couch, "Your and Sherlock's friendship is going to make both of your unhealthy lifestyles that much worse."

"Don't talk about me," Sherlock called from where he was standing with John.

"Oh hush," Mary smiled fondly at the man and glanced at her husband before going back to Victoria, "You know what I mean."

Victoria sighed dramatically and rested her cheek on her hand, "I suppose you're right… Sherlock, I don't suppose you would want to get married, would you?" She asked him.

Sherlock shot her an annoyed look that made both of the girls laugh. He didn't even dignify her with a response. He just went back to talking to John about his current case.

Mary pursed her lips to stop her giggles. "That wasn't what I meant at all, you silly girl…" She said quietly.

"Dating requires such an effort, though." Victoria pouted and followed her friend to the kitchen so they could check on the food.

"Would you be interested in maybe meeting a friend of mine?" Mary asked curiously, leaning against the kitchen counter.

Victoria shrugged, "Maybe. It really depends what you're friend is like…"

Mary smiled as she began to plan things out in her head, "I'll see what I can do."

Victoria passed the dish of green beans to Sherlock. She noticed that he was in considerably a better mood since they left.

"Look at you, Sherlock," She smiled, "You're positively glowing."

Sherlock snorted, "You're positively ridiculous." He glanced at her before placing the bowl of green beans on the table.

"You should have seen him earlier," Victoria told John and Mary, "He was being an absolute sour grape-"

"Sour grape," Sherlock scoffed.  
"But it seems as if the change of environment was needed, " Victoria observed, "Or maybe John warms up that cold soul of yours." She looked at Sherlock to see him glaring at her. She knew that she had been poking at him all evening but it had been such a long time since she had been out with friends. She might be a borderline recluse but she could help adoring John and Mary.

John watched his two friends look at each other, one with a glare and the other with a teasing smile. "Why I haven't seen Sherlock glower this much since when you poked from at him after walking in on him naked."

Mary let out an unladylike snort, "Did you really?"

Victoria felt her cheeks turn slightly pink but she nodded.

"She accepted it with much more grace than I did when I first found myself in that predicament." John commented.

Mary smiled, "Well I didn't know that Sherlock was a nudist in his spare time."

"Clothes are restraining." Sherlock defended, "Why would I trouble myself with shirt buttons and the such when there are much more important matters to focus on?"

"Well, I can't say that I'm upset about being the only person at the table that hasn't seen Sherlock Holmes bare as a newborn, but I do admit that I'm curious." Mary chuckled.

"Can we change the subject please," Sherlock glared at everyone.  
"How long did you think John was having an affair with Sherlock?" Mary asked with a grin.

"Only a few weeks," Victoria laughed.

Sherlock huffed, "This isn't any better."


End file.
